10 WWE Acts That Are Running Out Of Steam

1. Drew McIntyre

drew mcintyre promo
WWE.com

Drew McIntyre's push stalled in December when - after months of going undefeated and untouchable on Monday Night Raw - he lost. He lost to Finn Bálor and lost to Dolph Ziggler, but suffered far more than just shoulder-burn from the canvas for the first time in 2018.

He lost credibility.

It is the most valuable and fragile commodity in modern day WWE. The emotional connection between audience and talent has been bastardised to the point where many fans are glad to just see their favourites make the cards let alone get pushed or promoted, but the 50/50 booking curse has adjusted expectations for the audience let alone the wrestlers themselves.

Drew was a winner because he hadn't lost, but was an even bigger one for backing up his big words and making good on threats. Such actions were diluted by the defeats (and, in general, his separation from Dolph Ziggler), and the 'Scottish Psychopath' stands now within weeks of being the worst thing to be on WWE television - just like all the rest.

Hope is obviously not totally lost just yet, but this article's introduction noted the optimism around others during Royal Rumble season - unlike his status during most of 2018, he's now back amongst the chasing pack when the pack are actually chasing.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. Within the podcasting space, he also co-hosts Benno & Hamflett, In Your House! and Podcast Horseman: The BoJack Horseman Podcast. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, Fightful, POST Wrestling, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett